FATALITIES                      55'
has a friend in the world except you here; they say his own
family deride him."
   Still no one spoke, and Pilate went on: "And to
crown it all, they ask that he and all the crucified be killed
outright before sunset. It appears that they have some
superstition about persons being exposed that way on
Saturday."
   " And did you give the order " asked Varus.
   " Certainly," answered Pilate. " It is a mercy, really, to
end their torments."
  Again there was a gloomy silence. Procula and Rachel,
as became women of their time, sat apart, not daring to
speak. Then Rachel, sitting near to Procula on a divan,
put her arms about Procula's neck and whispered some-
thing in her ear. Procula's face brightened, and they
looked in each other's eyes with a new expression of hope.
There was more whispering, and a smile almost came to
Rachel's lips.
  Then Procula with some embarrassment, breaking the
silence, said, " If I might speak, would it not be proper
and lawful for Joseph and Nicodemus, as the only friends
of Jesus, to have possession of his body when he is dead "
  " I suppose they can have it if they want it," answered
Pilate. " I don't know what you Jews do with the bodies
of criminals, but by our Roman rule they should hang on
the cross till the birds pick their bones."
  At this, Pilate was called away to the Prwtorium, and
the five friends of Jesus looked in one another's eyes and
breathed more freely. And now Procula made known the
subject of Rachel's whispering. They were to have Jesus'
body, and if mutilation could by some means be prevented,
might not Jesus be saved, even yet, as Varus had sug-
gested  Joseph and Nicodemus shook their heads gloom-
ily, and called attention to the order of Pilate that Jesus
should be killed with clubs.